Roll joint member for surgical instrument

ABSTRACT

Provided is a roll joint member for a surgical instrument. The roll joint member includes a wire guide portion, a guide member including a wire support portion, and a shaft member rotatably coupled to the guide member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No.16/190,839 filed on Nov. 14, 2018, which claims priority to KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2017-0151728, filed on Nov. 14, 2017, in theKorean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

One or more embodiments relate to a roll joint member for a surgicalinstrument, and more particularly, to a roll joint member for a surgicalinstrument which improves the accuracy of a roll motion.

2. Description of the Related Art

Medical surgeries refer to heal diseases by cutting, incising, ormanipulating skin, the mucous membrane, or other tissue by using medicaldevices. In particular, open surgeries, in which the skin at a surgicalsite is incised to open the body to treat, shape, or remove internalorgans therein, may cause problems such as bleeding, side effects, pain,scars, and the like. Accordingly, surgeries, in which a certain hole isformed in the skin, and medical devices, for example, laparoscopes,surgical instruments, or microscopes for microsurgery, are insertedthrough the hole to conduct a surgery, or surgeries using robots havebeen highlighted as an alternative.

Surgical instruments are tools with which a surgeon conducts surgery ata surgical site by directly manipulating an end tool at one end of ashaft that passes through a hole punched in the skin, by hands using acertain operation unit, or by using a robot arm. The end tool providedin a surgical instrument may perform rotating, gripping, or cuttingthrough a certain structure.

The above-described background technology is already possessed by theinventor to invent the present disclosure or technical informationacquired in a process of the invention of the present disclosure, andcannot necessarily be said to be well-known technology open to thepublic prior to the filing of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments include a roll joint member for a surgicalinstrument which has improved accuracy of a roll motion.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

According to one or more embodiments, the present disclosure discloses aroll joint member for a surgical instrument which includes a wire guideportion, a guide member including a wire support portion, and a shaftmember rotatably coupled to the guide member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readilyappreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of a roll joint member accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 1B is an assembled perspective view of the roll joint member ofFIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is an assembled perspective view illustrating that a wire iscoupled to the roll joint member of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1D is a lateral cross-sectional view of a guide member of the rolljoint member of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1E is a front view of the guide member of the roll joint member ofFIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of a roll joint member accordingto another embodiment;

FIG. 2B is an assembled perspective view of the roll joint member ofFIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is an assembled perspective view illustrating that a wire iscoupled to the roll joint member of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2D is a lateral cross-sectional view of the guide member of theroll joint member of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2E is a front view of the guide member of the roll joint member ofFIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of a roll joint member accordingto another embodiment;

FIG. 3B is an assembled perspective view of the roll joint member ofFIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is an assembled perspective view illustrating that a wire iscoupled to the roll joint member of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3D is a lateral cross-sectional view of a guide member of the rolljoint member of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3E is a front view of the guide member of the roll joint member ofFIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view of a roll joint member accordingto another embodiment;

FIG. 4B is an assembled perspective view of the roll joint member ofFIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C is an assembled perspective view illustrating that a wire iscoupled to the roll joint member of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4D is a lateral cross-sectional view of a guide member of the rolljoint member of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4E is a front view of the guide member of the roll joint member ofFIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A is an exploded perspective view of a roll joint member accordingto another embodiment;

FIG. 5B is an assembled perspective view of the roll joint member ofFIG. 5A;

FIG. 5C is an assembled perspective view illustrating that a wire iscoupled to the roll joint member of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5D is a lateral cross-sectional view of a guide member of the rolljoint member of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5E is a front view of the guide member of the roll joint member ofFIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view of a roll joint member accordingto another embodiment;

FIG. 6B is an assembled perspective view of the roll joint member ofFIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C is a partially cut-away assembled perspective view of the rolljoint member of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6D is an assembled perspective view illustrating that a wire iscoupled to the roll joint member of FIG. 6A; and

FIG. 6E is a partially cut-away assembled perspective view of the rolljoint member of FIG. 6D.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As the disclosure allows for various changes and numerous embodiments,embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detailin the written description. However, this is not intended to limit thepresent disclosure to particular modes of practice, and it is to beappreciated that all changes, equivalents, and substitutes that do notdepart from the spirit and technical scope of the present disclosure areencompassed in the present disclosure. In the description of the presentdisclosure, certain detailed explanations of the related art are omittedwhen it is deemed that they may unnecessarily obscure the essence of thedisclosure.

While such terms as “first,” “second,” etc., may be used to describevarious components, such components must not be limited to the aboveterms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component fromanother.

The terms used in the present specification are merely used to describeembodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Anexpression used in the singular encompasses the expression of theplural, unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context. In thepresent specification, it is to be understood that the terms such as“including,” “having,” and “comprising” are intended to indicate theexistence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts,or combinations thereof disclosed in the specification, and are notintended to preclude the possibility that one or more other features,numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof mayexist or may be added.

The present disclosure will now be described more fully with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the disclosure areshown. Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals denote likeelements. In the following description, when detailed descriptions aboutrelated well-known functions or structures are determined to make thegist of the present disclosure unclear, the detailed descriptions willbe omitted herein.

Furthermore, in the description of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, it is not necessary to independently interpreted or workedeach embodiment, and technical concepts described in the respectiveembodiments should be understood to be interpreted or worked by beingcombined to another embodiment that is individually described

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure are described belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

A surgical instrument 1 provided in a roll joint member according to anembodiment may include a roll joint member 100, an end tool 130, and aconnection portion 103. The connection portion 103 has an empty shaftshape and may accommodate one or more wires to be described latertherein. One end portion of the connection portion 103 is coupled to theend tool 130, and the other end portion thereof is coupled to amanipulation portion (not shown). Accordingly, the connection portion103 may connect the end tool 130 to the manipulation portion. Themanipulation portion may be a manipulation portion of a laparoscopicsurgical tool or a driving portion of a surgical robot. Furthermore, themanipulation portion may be one of various members connected to the endtool 130 and capable of manipulating the end tool 130.

In the following description, various embodiments of the roll jointmember 100 for guiding a roll motion of the end tool 130, which isformed between the end tool 130 and the connection portion 103 of thesurgical instrument 1, are described in detail.

FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of the roll joint member 100according to an embodiment. FIG. 1B is an assembled perspective view ofthe roll joint member 100 of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is an assembledperspective view illustrating that a roll wire 140 is coupled to theroll joint member 100 of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1D is a lateral cross-sectionalview of a guide member 120 of the roll joint member 100 of FIG. 1A. FIG.1E is a front view of the guide member 120 of the roll joint member 100of FIG. 1A.

Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1E, the roll joint member 100 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to the present embodiment may include a shaftmember 110 and the guide member 120. In this state, the end tool 130 iscoupled to one end portion of the shaft member 110, and the connectionportion 103 of the surgical instrument 1 is coupled to one end portionof the guide member 120. The roll wire 140 having one end portionfixedly coupled to the shaft member 110 penetrates the guide member 120toward the connection portion 103 and the manipulation portion. In thefollowing description, each of constituent elements is described indetail.

The roll wire 140 may include a first roll wire 141 and a second rollwire 142. The first roll wire 141 and the second roll wire 142 areseparate wires, and one end portion of each of the first roll wire 141and the second roll wire 142 may be fixedly coupled to the shaft member110. Alternatively, the first roll wire 141 and the second roll wire 142may be one wire (connected to each other), and a center point (or aconnection point) may be fixedly coupled to the shaft member 110. Inthis state, although not illustrated, the roll wire 140 may be fixed tothe shaft member 110 in various methods by using a hole or a groove, orby welding.

The shaft member 110 may include a shaft 111, an end tool receivingportion 113, and an end tool coupling portion 115.

The shaft 111 has a cylindrical shape and is inserted into the guidemember 120. Accordingly, when the guide member 120 is in a fixed state,the shaft member 110 may be rotatable with respect to the guide member120 along a roll axis R. In other words, a center axis of the shaft 111may be the roll axis R.

The end tool receiving portion 113 has a shape of a pair of parallelplates, and may extend from the shaft 111 in a direction toward the endtool 130. The end tool coupling portion 115 may be further formed at anend portion of the end tool receiving portion 113 in a direction towardthe end tool 130. In this state, the end tool coupling portion 115 maybe formed in the form of a hole through which a coupling shaft (notshown) is inserted. In addition, the end tool coupling portion 115 maybe formed in various shapes for coupling the shaft member 110 to the endtool 130.

The end tool 130 is accommodated in the end tool receiving portion 113.In detail, an end tool shaft 133 is accommodated in the shaft 111, and afirst jaw 131 and a second jaw 132, which are coupled to the end toolshaft 133, are accommodated in the end tool receiving portion 113. Inthis state, the coupling shaft sequentially penetrates the end toolcoupling portion 115 of the end tool receiving portion 113 and the firstand second jaws 131 and 132, and thus the shaft member 110 and the endtool 130 may be coupled to each other.

The guide member 120 may include a housing 121 and a guide portion 123.

In this state, in the roll joint member 100 according to the presentembodiment, the shaft member 110 and the guide member 120 are formed asseparate members, and when the guide member 120 is in a fixed state, theshaft member 110 is characteristically formed to be rotatable withrespect to the guide member 120.

In other words, in the case of a roll joint member according to therelated art, generally, a shaft and a guide are integrally formed. Inthis case, since a wire wound around the shaft for a roll motion is alsowound around the guide, the shaft and the guide form a rotationalsymmetry. In other words, to maintain the shape of the wire wound aroundthe guide regardless of rotation of the shaft, the guide is formed in arotational symmetry with respect to a shaft axis. Accordingly, the shapeof the guide may be limited. Furthermore, it may be a problem that, asthe guide rotates, a frictional force may be generated between the guideand the wire in a direction that is not a proceeding direction of thewire wound around the guide.

To address the above problem, in the roll joint member 100 according tothe present embodiment, the shaft member 110 and the guide member 120are formed as separate members, and when the guide member 120 is in afixed state, the shaft member 110 is rotatable with respect to the guidemember 120, as described in detail later.

The housing 121 has a hollow shape, and the guide portion 123 may beformed at one end portion of the housing 121 and the connection portion103 of the surgical instrument 1 may be coupled to the other end portionof the housing 121.

One or more wire holes 122 may be formed in the housing 121. The wireholes 122 may be formed such the roll wire 140 may penetrate the wireholes 122, and the roll wire 140 may connect the end tool 130 with themanipulation portion. Although the drawings illustrate only the wireholes 122 that the roll wire 140 penetrates, the concept of the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto, and one or more wire holes thatadditional wires for other operations of the end tool 130 penetrate maybe further formed in the housing 121.

The guide portion 123 may have a hollow shape. Accordingly, a shaft hole125 may be formed in the housing 121 and the guide portion 123, and theshaft 111 of the shaft member 110 may be rotatably coupled to the shafthole 125.

The guide portion 123 may include a wire guide portion 123 a and a wiresupport portion 123 c.

The wire guide portion 123 a guides a path of the roll wire 140 thatpenetrates the wire holes 122.

The wire support portion 123 c may support at least part of the rollwire 140. In other words, when the roll wire 140 wound around the shaftmember 110 is wound around the wire guide portion 123 a by changing awinding direction, the wire support portion 123 c may support the rollwire 140 such that the roll wire 140 is stably wound around the shaftmember 110.

Referring to FIGS. 1D and 1E, in the roll joint member 100 according tothe present embodiment, the wire guide portion 123 a and the wiresupport portion 123 c are characteristically formed such that, whenviewed on a plane perpendicular to the roll axis R, upper and lowersides (or left and right sides according to a rotation position) of theguide member 120 are asymmetrically formed with respect to the roll axisR. In other words, in FIG. 1E, with respect to a horizontal lineincluding the roll axis R, the upper and lower sides of the guide member120 are asymmetrically formed, and thus the upper and lower sides havedifferent sections. In other words, the shaft member 110 and the guidemember 120 are formed as separate members, and when the shaft member 110does not rotate, the guide member 120 does not rotate, and thus theguide member 120 that does not rotate may be formed in an asymmetricalshape.

In this state, the wire guide portion 123 a guides the path of the rollwire 140. The wire guide portion 123 a may include two inclined surfacesforming a certain angle therebetween. The roll wire 140 having one endwound around the shaft member 110 is guided toward the wire holes 122along the inclined surfaces of the wire guide portion 123 a. In thisstate, tension applied to the roll wire 140 allows the roll wire 140 toclosely contact the inclined surfaces of the wire guide portion 123 a.However, although the wire guide portion 123 a is illustrated to be aninclined plane, when viewed on the plane perpendicular to the roll axisR, the wire guide portion 123 a may be formed to be a curved surfacehaving a certain curvature as a whole.

In contrast, the wire support portion 123 c may be formed to be roughlya part of a cylinder, for example, in a semicircular shape, and maysupport at least a part of a portion of the roll wire 140 wound aroundthe shaft member 110. In other words, the wire support portion 123 c,when viewed on a plane perpendicular to the roll axis R, may have an arcshape having a certain central angle. As such, as the wire supportportion 123 c supports the roll wire 140 so that the roll wire 140 maybe stably wound around the shaft member 110, linearity or stability of aroll motion may be improved. Furthermore, since the guide member 120does not rotate and remains fixed during a roll motion, the roll wire140 moves forward and backward only on the path of the roll wire 140wound around the guide member 120, and thus a frictional force betweenthe roll wire 140 and the guide member 120 may be reduced. In otherwords, an additional frictional force may not be generated because theguide member 120 does not rotate in a direction different from thedirection in which the roll wire 140 moves forward or backward.

As such, as the shaft member 110 and the guide member 120 are formed asseparate members, the shape of the guide member 120 may beasymmetrically formed without being limited by axis rotation symmetry.Accordingly, the shape of the guide member 120 may be manufacturedaccording to an optimal path of the roll wire 140 suitable for the rollmotion of the surgical instrument 1. Furthermore, when the roll wire 140wound around the shaft member 110 is wound around the guide member 120by changing the winding direction, the wire support portion 123 c maysupport the roll wire 140 to be stably wound around the shaft member110. Also, according to the above structure, the rotation of the shaftmember 110 due to the roll motion may not affect the winding shape ofthe roll wire 140 wound around the guide member 120.

In this state, the driving principle of a roll motion using the rollwire 140 is as follows.

In a state in which one end portion of each of the first roll wire 141and the second roll wire 142 which are provided as separate wires, orthe center point (or connection point) when the first roll wire 141 andthe second roll wire 142 form one wire, is fixed to the shaft member110, the first roll wire 141 and the second roll wire 142 are woundaround the shaft member 110, and a tension difference is applied to bothsides of the first roll wire 141 and the second roll wire 142, that is,one side is pulled, and then the shaft member 110 is rotated as thefirst roll wire 141 and the second roll wire 142 are wound or released.

In this state, to guide the path of the roll wire 140, one or more wireholes may be formed in the guide member 120 as the wire holes 122.Accordingly, the roll wire 140 being fixed to and wound around the shaftmember 110 may penetrate the wire holes 122 of the guide member 120 andextend in a direction opposite to the end tool 130. In this state, theguide portion 123 of the guide member 120 being fixed to and woundaround the shaft member 110 may guide the roll wire 140 to proceedtoward the wire holes 122 and simultaneously maintain the shape of theroll wire 140 being wound around the shaft member 110.

In other words, the wire guide portion 123 a includes two inclinedsurfaces forming a certain angle, and tension applied to the roll wire140 allows the roll wire 140 to closely contact the inclined surface ofthe wire guide portion 123 a. The wire support portion 123 c supports atleast a part of the portion of the roll wire 140 wound around the shaftmember 110.

According to the present embodiment, since the shaft member 110 and theguide member 120 are formed as separate members and the guide member 120does not rotate even when the shaft member 110 rotates, the guide member120 that does not rotate may be formed in an asymmetrical shape, andthus freedom of shape design may be much enhanced. Furthermore, since anasymmetrical shape is possible, the wire guide portion 123 a, to whichthe roll wire 140 may be closely coupled, is formed at one side of theguide member 120, thereby stably guiding the path of the roll wire 140.Simultaneously, since the wire support portion 123 c is formed at theother side of the guide member 120 to support the roll wire 140 beingwound around the shaft member 110, linearity or stability of a rollmotion may be improved. Furthermore, since the guide member 120 does notrotate and remains fixed during the roll motion of the shaft member 110,no frictional force is generated with respect to the roll wire 140 otherthan the forward and backward movements of the roll wire 140.

In the following description, a roll joint member 200 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to another embodiment is described. In thisstate, the roll joint member 200 for the surgical instrument 1 accordingto the present embodiment is characteristically different from the rolljoint member 100 for the surgical instrument 1 of FIG. 1A, in terms ofthe structure of a guide member 220. In the following description, thestructure of the guide member 220 is mainly described below.

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of the roll joint member 200according to another embodiment. FIG. 2B is an assembled perspectiveview of the roll joint member 200 of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2C is an assembledperspective view illustrating that a roll wire 240 is coupled to theroll joint member 200 of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2D is a lateral cross-sectionalview of the guide member 220 of the roll joint member 200 of FIG. 2A.FIG. 2E is a front view of the guide member 220 of the roll joint member200 of FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIGS. 2A to 2E, the roll joint member 200 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to the present embodiment may include a shaftmember 210 and the guide member 220. In this state, an end tool 230 iscoupled to one end portion of the shaft member 210, and the connectionportion 103 of FIG. 1 of the surgical instrument 1 is coupled to one endportion of the guide member 220. The roll wire 240 having the one endportion fixedly coupled to the shaft member 210 penetrates the guidemember 220 and extends toward the connection portion 103 of FIG. 1 andthe manipulation portion. In the following description, the guide member220 is described in detail.

The guide member 220 may include a housing 221 and a guide portion 223.

The guide portion 223 may be formed in a hollow shape. Accordingly, ashaft hole 225 may be formed in the housing 221 and the guide portion223, and a shaft 211 of the shaft member 210 may be rotatably coupled tothe shaft hole 225.

The guide portion 223 may include a wire guide portion 223 a and a wiresupport portion 223 c.

The wire guide portion 223 a guides a path of the roll wire 240 thatpenetrates a wire hole 222.

The wire support portion 223 c may support at least a part of the rollwire 240. In other words, when the roll wire 240 wound around the shaftmember 210 is wound around the wire guide portion 223 a by changing awinding direction, the wire support portion 223 c may support the rollwire 240 such that the roll wire 240 is stably wound around the shaftmember 210.

Referring to FIGS. 2D and 2E, in the roll joint member 200 according tothe present embodiment, the wire guide portion 223 a and the wiresupport portion 223 c are characteristically formed such that, whenviewed on a plane perpendicular to the roll axis R, upper and lowersides (or left and right sides according to a rotation position) of theguide member 220 are asymmetrically formed with respect to the roll axisR. In other words, since the shaft member 210 and the guide member 220are formed as separate members, even when the shaft member 210 rotates,the guide member 220 does not rotate, and thus the guide member 220 thatdoes not rotate may be formed in an asymmetrical shape.

In this state, the wire guide portion 223 a guides the path of the rollwire 240. The wire guide portion 223 a may include a plane that isformed to be roughly flat. The roll wire 240 having one end portionwound around the shaft member 210 is guided toward the wire hole 222along the plane of the wire guide portion 223 a. In this state, tensionapplied to the roll wire 240 allows the roll wire 240 to closely contacta surface of the wire guide portion 223 a. However, although the wireguide portion 223 a is illustrated to be a flat plane, when viewed on aplane perpendicular to the roll axis R, the wire guide portion 223 a maybe formed in a free curved surface of various shapes.

In contrast, the wire support portion 223 c is formed to be roughly apart of a cylinder, for example, in a hemispherical shape, and supportat least a part of a portion of the roll wire 240 wound around the shaftmember 210. As such, since the wire support portion 223 c is provided tosupport the roll wire 240 so that the roll wire 240 is stably woundaround the shaft member 210, linearity or stability of a roll motion maybe improved. Furthermore, since the guide member 220 does not rotate andremains fixed during a roll motion, the roll wire 240 moves forward andbackward only on the path of the roll wire 240 wound around the guidemember 220, and thus a frictional force between the roll wire 240 andthe guide member 220 may be reduced. In other words, an additionalfrictional force may not be generated because the guide member 220 doesnot rotate in a direction different from the direction in which the rollwire 240 moves forward or backward.

As such, since the shaft member 210 and the guide member 220 are formedas separate members, the shape of the guide member 220 may beasymmetrically formed without being limited by axial symmetry.Accordingly, the shape of the guide member 220 may be manufacturedaccording to an optimal path of the roll wire 240 suitable for the rollmotion of the surgical instrument 1. Furthermore, when the roll wire 240wound around the shaft member 210 is wound around the guide member 220by changing the winding direction, the wire support portion 223 c maysupport the roll wire 240 to be stably wound around the shaft member210. Also, according to the above structure, the rotation of the shaftmember 210 due to the roll motion may not affect the winding shape ofthe roll wire 240 wound around the guide member 220.

In the following description, a roll joint member 300 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to another embodiment is described below. In thisstate, the roll joint member 300 for the surgical instrument 1 accordingto the present embodiment is characteristically different from the rolljoint member 100 for the surgical instrument 1 of FIG. 1A, in terms ofthe structure of a guide member 320. In the following description, thestructure of the guide member 320 is mainly described below.

FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of the roll joint member 300according to another embodiment. FIG. 3B is an assembled perspectiveview of the roll joint member 300 of FIG. 3A. FIG. 3C is an assembledperspective view illustrating that a roll wire 340 is coupled to theroll joint member 300 of FIG. 3A. FIG. 3D is a lateral cross-sectionalview of the guide member 320 of the roll joint member 300 of FIG. 3A.FIG. 3E is a front view of the guide member 320 of the roll joint member300 of FIG. 3A.

Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3E, the roll joint member 300 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to the present embodiment may include a shaftmember 310 and a guide member 320. In this state, an end tool 330 iscoupled to one end portion of the shaft member 310, and the connectionportion 103 of the surgical instrument 1 of FIG. 1 is coupled to one endportion of the guide member 320. The roll wire 340 having one endportion fixedly coupled to the shaft member 310 penetrates the guidemember 320 toward the connection portion 103 of FIG. 1 and themanipulation portion. In the following description, the guide member 320is described in detail.

The guide member 320 may include a housing 321 and a guide portion 323.

The guide portion 323 may be formed in a hollow shape. Accordingly, ashaft hole 325 may be formed in the housing 321 and the guide portion323, and a shaft 311 of the shaft member 310 may be rotatably coupled tothe shaft hole 325.

The guide portion 323 may include a wire guide portion 323 a and a wiresupport portion 323 c.

The wire guide portion 323 a guides a path of the roll wire 340 thatpenetrates a wire hole 322.

The wire support portion 323 c may support at least a part of the rollwire 340. In other words, when the roll wire 340 wound around the shaftmember 310 is wound around the wire guide portion 323 a by changing awinding direction, the wire support portion 323 c may support the rollwire 340 such that the roll wire 340 is stably wound around the shaftmember 310.

Referring to FIGS. 3D and 3E, in the roll joint member 300 according tothe present embodiment, the wire guide portion 323 a and the wiresupport portion 323 c are characteristically formed such that, whenviewed on a plane perpendicular to the roll axis R, upper and lowersides (or left and right sides according to a rotation position) of theguide member 320 are asymmetrically formed with respect to the roll axisR. In other words, since the shaft member 310 and the guide member 320are formed as separate members, even when the shaft member 310 rotates,the guide member 320 does not rotate, and thus the guide member 320 thatdoes not rotate may be formed in an asymmetrical shape.

In this state, the wire guide portion 323 a guides the path of the rollwire 340. The wire guide portion 323 a may be formed in the form of akind of channel. In other words, the wire guide portion 323 a is formedto be inwardly recessed in a cylindrical shape, forming a certain curvedsurface therein along the path of the roll wire 340. In other words,when viewed on a sectional surface, a groove recessed to a certaindegree in a direction along the roll axis R is generated. A surfaceforming the groove has a curved shape having a certain curvature,thereby forming the wire guide portion 323 a. The roll wire 340 havingone end portion wound around the shaft member 310 is guided toward thewire hole 322 along the curved surface of the wire guide portion 323 a.In this state, tension applied to the roll wire 340 allows the roll wire340 to closely contact the surface of the wire guide portion 323 a.

In contrast, the wire support portion 323 c is formed roughly in an arcshape under the wire guide portion 323 a and may support at least a partof a portion of the roll wire 340 wound around the shaft member 310. Assuch, since the wire support portion 323 c is provided to support theroll wire 340 so that the roll wire 340 may be stably wound around theshaft member 310, linearity or stability of a roll motion may beimproved. Furthermore, since the guide member 320 does not rotate andremains fixed during a roll motion, the roll wire 340 moves forward andbackward only on the path of the roll wire 340 wound around the guidemember 320, and thus a frictional force between the roll wire 340 andthe guide member 320 may be reduced. In other words, an additionalfrictional force may not be generated because the guide member 320 doesnot rotate in a direction different from the direction in which the rollwire 340 moves forward or backward.

In this state, although not illustrated, an arc portion of not only thelower side, but also the upper side of the wire support portion 323 cmay support the roll wire 340. In other words, although FIG. 3C does notillustrate that the upper arc portion supports the roll wire 340 becausethe shaft member 310 is in a default state, when the roll motion isperformed on the shaft so that the wire hole 322 is placed on the sideor lower surface, the roll wire 340 is supported by the upper archportion.

As such, since the shaft member 310 and the guide member 320 are formedas separate members, the shape of the guide member 320 may beasymmetrically formed without being limited by axial symmetry.Accordingly, the shape of the guide member 320 may be manufacturedaccording to an optimal path of the roll wire 340 suitable for the rollmotion of the surgical instrument 1. Furthermore, when the roll wire 340wound around the shaft member 310 is wound around the guide member 320by changing the winding direction, the wire support portion 323 c maysupport the roll wire 340 to be stably wound around the shaft member310. Also, according to the above structure, the rotation of the shaftmember 310 due to the roll motion may not affect the winding shape ofthe roll wire 340 wound around the guide member 320.

In the following description, a roll joint member 400 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to another embodiment is described below. In thisstate, the roll joint member 400 for the surgical instrument 1 accordingto the present embodiment is characteristically different from the rolljoint member 100 for the surgical instrument 1 of FIG. 1A, in terms ofthe structure of a guide member 420. In the following description, thestructure of the guide member 420 is mainly described below.

FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view of the roll joint member 400according to another embodiment. FIG. 4B is an assembled perspectiveview of the roll joint member 400 of FIG. 4A. FIG. 4C is an assembledperspective view illustrating that a roll wire 440 is coupled to theroll joint member 400 of FIG. 4A. FIG. 4D is a lateral cross-sectionalview of the guide member 420 of the roll joint member 400 of FIG. 4A.FIG. 4E is a front view of the guide member 420 of the roll joint member400 of FIG. 4A.

Referring to FIGS. 4A to 4E, the roll joint member 400 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to the present embodiment may include a shaftmember 410 and the guide member 420. In this state, an end tool 430 iscoupled to one end portion of the shaft member 410, and the connectionportion 103 of the surgical instrument 1 of FIG. 1 is coupled to one endportion of the guide member 420. The roll wire 440 having one endportion fixedly coupled to the shaft member 410 penetrates the guidemember 420 and extends toward the connection portion 103 of FIG. 1 andthe manipulation portion. In the following description, the guide member420 is described in detail.

The guide member 420 may include a housing 421 and a guide portion 423.

The guide portion 423 may be formed in a hollow shape. Accordingly, ashaft hole 425 may be formed in the housing 421 and the guide portion423, and a shaft 411 of the shaft member 410 may be rotatably coupled tothe shaft hole 425.

The guide portion 423 may include a wire guide portion 423 a and a wiresupport portion 423 c.

The wire guide portion 423 a guides a path of the roll wire 440 thatpenetrates a wire hole 422.

The wire support portion 423 c may support at least a part of the rollwire 440. In other words, when the roll wire 440 wound around the shaftmember 410 is wound around the wire guide portion 423 a by changing awinding direction, the wire support portion 423 c may support the rollwire 440 such that the roll wire 440 is stably wound around the shaftmember 410.

Referring to FIGS. 4D and 4E, in the roll joint member 400 according tothe present embodiment, the wire guide portion 423 a and the wiresupport portion 423 c are characteristically formed such that, whenviewed on a plane perpendicular to the roll axis R, upper and lowersides (or left and right sides according to a rotation position) of theguide member 420 are asymmetrically formed with respect to the roll axisR. In other words, since the shaft member 410 and the guide member 420are formed as separate members, even when the shaft member 410 rotates,the guide member 420 does not rotate, and thus the guide member 420 thatdoes not rotate may be formed in an asymmetrical shape.

In this state, the wire guide portion 423 a guides the path of the rollwire 440. The wire guide portion 423 a may be formed to have a concaveportion shape that is concavely recessed having a certain curvature. Theroll wire 440 having one end portion wound around the shaft member 410is guided toward the wire hole 422 along the concave portion of the wireguide portion 423 a. In this state, tension applied to the roll wire 440allows the roll wire 440 to closely contact a surface of the wire guideportion 423 a.

In contrast, the wire support portion 423 c is formed roughly in an arcor hemispherical shape and may support at least a part of a portion ofthe roll wire 440 wound around the shaft member 410. As such, since thewire support portion 423 c is provided to support the roll wire 440 sothat the roll wire 440 is stably wound around the shaft member 410,linearity or stability of a roll motion may be improved. Furthermore,since the guide member 420 does not rotate and remains fixed during aroll motion, the roll wire 440 moves forward and backward only on thepath of the roll wire 440 wound around the guide member 420, and thus africtional force between the roll wire 440 and the guide member 420 maybe reduced. In other words, an additional frictional force may not begenerated because the guide member 420 does not rotate in a directiondifferent from the direction in which the roll wire 440 moves forward orbackward.

As such, since the shaft member 410 and the guide member 420 are formedas separate members, the shape of the guide member 420 may beasymmetrically formed without being limited by axial symmetry.Accordingly, the shape of the guide member 420 may be manufacturedaccording to an optimal path of the roll wire 440 suitable for the rollmotion of the surgical instrument 1. Furthermore, when the roll wire 440wound around the shaft member 410 is wound around the guide member 420by changing the winding direction, the wire support portion 423 c maysupport the roll wire 440 to be stably wound around the shaft member410. Also, according to the above structure, the rotation of the shaftmember 410 due to the roll motion may not affect the winding shape ofthe roll wire 440 wound around the guide member 420.

In the following description, a roll joint member 500 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to another embodiment is described below. In thisstate, the roll joint member 500 for the surgical instrument 1 accordingto the present embodiment is characteristically different from the rolljoint member 100 for the surgical instrument 1 of FIG. 1A, in terms ofthe structure of a guide member 520. In the following description, thestructure of the guide member 520 is mainly described below.

FIG. 5A is an exploded perspective view of the roll joint member 500according to another embodiment. FIG. 5B is an assembled perspectiveview of the roll joint member 500 of FIG. 5A. FIG. 5C is an assembledperspective view illustrating that a roll wire is coupled to the rolljoint member 500 of FIG. 5A. FIG. 5D is a lateral cross-sectional viewof the guide member 520 of the roll joint member 500 of FIG. 5A. FIG. 5Eis a front view of the guide member 520 of the roll joint member 500 ofFIG. 5A.

Referring to FIGS. 5A to 5E, the roll joint member 500 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to the present embodiment may include a shaftmember 510 and the guide member 520. In this state, an end tool 530 iscoupled to one end portion of the shaft member 510, and the connectionportion 103 of the surgical instrument 1 of FIG. 1 is coupled to one endportion of the guide member 520. The roll wire 540 having one endportion fixedly coupled to the shaft member 510 penetrates the guidemember 520 and extends toward the connection portion 103 of FIG. 1 andthe manipulation portion. In the following description, the guide member520 is described in detail.

The guide member 520 may include a housing 521 and a guide portion 523.

The guide portion 523 may be formed in a hollow shape. Accordingly, ashaft hole 525 may be formed in the housing 521 and the guide portion523, and a shaft 511 of the shaft member 510 may be rotatably coupled tothe shaft hole 525.

The guide portion 523 may include a wire guide portion 523 a and a wiresupport portion 523 c.

The wire guide portion 523 a guides a path of the roll wire 540 thatpenetrates a wire hole 522.

The wire support portion 523 c may support at least a part of the rollwire 540. In other words, when the roll wire 540 wound around the shaftmember 510 is wound around the wire guide portion 523 a by changing awinding direction, the wire support portion 523 c may support the rollwire 540 such that the roll wire 540 is stably wound around the shaftmember 510.

Referring to FIGS. 5D and 5E, in the roll joint member 500 according tothe present embodiment, the wire guide portion 523 a and the wiresupport portion 523 c are characteristically formed such that, whenviewed on a plane perpendicular to the roll axis R, upper and lowersides (or left and right sides according to a rotation position) of theguide member 520 are asymmetrically formed with respect to the roll axisR. In other words, since the shaft member 510 and the guide member 520are formed as separate members, even when the shaft member 510 rotates,the guide member 520 does not rotate, and thus the guide member 520 thatdoes not rotate may be formed in an asymmetrical shape.

In this state, the wire guide portion 523 a guides the path of the rollwire 540. The wire guide portion 523 a may be formed in a shape of acylinder having an open or cut part. In other words, a part of acylindrical shape is cut in a roll axis direction, forming a groove, andthe roll wire 540 is guided toward the wire hole 522 along the cut part.In this state, tension applied to the roll wire 540 allows the roll wire540 to closely contact a surface of the wire guide portion 523 a.

In contrast, the wire support portion 523 c may be formed roughly in anarc or hemispherical shape and may support at least a part of a portionof the roll wire 540 wound around the shaft member 510. As such, sincethe wire support portion 523 c is provided to support the roll wire 540so that the roll wire 540 is stably wound around the shaft member 510,linearity or stability of a roll motion may be improved. Furthermore,since the guide member 520 does not rotate and remains fixed during aroll motion, the roll wire 540 moves forward and backward only on thepath of the roll wire 540 wound around the guide member 520, and thus africtional force between the roll wire 540 and the guide member 520 maybe reduced. In other words, an additional frictional force may not begenerated because the guide member 520 does not rotate in a directiondifferent from the direction in which the roll wire 540 moves forward orbackward.

As such, since the shaft member 510 and the guide member 520 are formedas separate members, the shape of the guide member 520 may beasymmetrically formed without being limited by axial symmetry.Accordingly, the shape of the guide member 520 may be manufacturedaccording to an optimal path of the roll wire 540 suitable for the rollmotion of the surgical instrument 1. Furthermore, when the roll wire 540wound around the shaft member 510 is wound around the guide member 520by changing the winding direction, the wire support portion 525 c maysupport the roll wire 540 to be stably wound around the shaft member510. Also, according to the above structure, the rotation of the shaftmember 510 due to the roll motion may not affect the winding shape ofthe roll wire 540 wound around the guide member 520.

In the following description, a roll joint member 600 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to another embodiment is described below. In thisstate, the roll joint member 600 for the surgical instrument 1 accordingto the present embodiment is characteristically different from the rolljoint member 100 for the surgical instrument 1 of FIG. 1A, in terms ofthe structure of guide members 620 and 650. In the followingdescription, the structure of the guide members 620 and 650 are mainlydescribed below.

FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view of the roll joint member 600according to another embodiment. FIG. 6B is an assembled perspectiveview of the roll joint member 600 of FIG. 6A. FIG. 6C is a partiallycut-away assembled perspective view of the roll joint member 600 of FIG.6A. FIG. 6D is an assembled perspective view illustrating that a rollwire 640 is coupled to the roll joint member 600 of FIG. 6A. FIG. 6E isa partially cut-away assembled perspective view of the roll joint member600 of FIG. 6D.

Referring to FIGS. 6A to 6E, the roll joint member 600 for the surgicalinstrument 1 according to the present embodiment may include a shaftmember 610, the first guide member 620, and a second guide member 650.In this state, an end tool 630 is coupled to one end portion of theshaft member 610, and the connection portion 103 of the surgicalinstrument 1 of FIG. 1 is coupled to one end portion of the first guidemember 620. The roll wire 640 having the one end portion fixedly coupledto the shaft member 610 penetrates the first guide member 620 andextends toward the connection portion 103 of FIG. 1 and the manipulationportion.

In this state, in the roll joint member 600 for the surgical instrument1 according to the present embodiment, since the guide member 620 isformed as two separate members of the first guide member 620 and thesecond guide member 650, a first roll wire 641 and a second roll wire642 may be prevented from interfering with each other. In the followingdescription, the first guide member 620 and the second guide member 650are described in detail.

The first guide member 620 may include a housing 621 and a guide portion623.

In this state, since the first guide member 620 is substantially thesame as the guide member 120 of FIG. 1A, except that a coupling portionis formed for the coupling of the second guide member 650, a detaileddescription thereof is omitted. The guide members according to otherembodiments may be used as the first guide member 620.

The second guide member 650 may be formed in a hollow shape. A shaft 611of the shaft member 610 may be rotatably coupled to the second guidemember 650. The second guide member 650 may be inserted into the firstguide member 620. The second guide member 650 may be similar to a shapeof the first guide member 620 without the housing 621.

The second guide member 650 may include a wire guide portion 653 a and awire support portion 653 c. The wire guide portion 653 a guides the pathof the roll wire 640 that penetrates a wire hole (622). The wire supportportion 653 c may support at least a part of the roll wire 640. In otherwords, when the roll wire 640 wound around the shaft member 610 is woundaround the wire guide portion 623 a by changing a winding direction, thewire support portion 623 c may support the roll wire 640 such that theroll wire 640 is stably wound around the shaft member 610.

In this state, the first guide member 620 and the second guide member650 are formed as separate members. Both of the first roll wire 641 andthe second roll wire 642 are coupled to the shaft member 610. Thedifferences between the present embodiment and the above-describedembodiments lie in that two wire coupling holes 611 a formed in theshaft member 610 are formed along the roll axis R, not crossing the rollaxis R. The second roll wire 642 may be supported and guided by a guidemember 653 of the first guide member 620.

In this state, the first roll wire 641 and the second roll wire 642 areformed as separate wires, and one end portion of each of the first rollwire 641 and the second roll wire 642 may be fixedly coupled to theshaft member 610, or the first roll wire 641 and the second roll wire642 may be one wire (connected to each other) and a center point (orconnection point) thereof may be fixedly coupled to the shaft member610.

According to the above structure, since the first roll wire 641 and thesecond roll wire 642 are formed not to contact and interfere with eachother, the roll motion may be stably and surely implemented.

As described above, accuracy of the roll motion may be improved by theroll joint member for a surgical instrument according to the presentdisclosure.

The particular implementations shown and described herein areillustrative examples of the disclosure and are not intended tootherwise limit the scope of the disclosure in any way. For the sake ofbrevity, conventional electronics, control systems, software developmentand other functional aspects of the systems may not be described indetail. Furthermore, the connecting lines, or connectors shown in thevarious figures presented are intended to represent functionalrelationships and/or physical or logical couplings between the variouselements. It should be noted that many alternative or additionalfunctional relationships, physical connections or logical connectionsmay be present in a practical device. Moreover, no item or component isessential to the practice of the disclosure unless the element isspecifically described as “essential” or “critical.”

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the disclosure (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural. Furthermore, recitation of ranges of values herein are merelyintended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually toeach separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicatedherein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specificationas if it were individually recited herein. Also, the steps of allmethods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.The present disclosure is not limited to the described order of thesteps. The use of any and all examples, or language (e.g., “such as”)provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosureand does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unlessotherwise claimed. Numerous modifications and adaptations will bereadily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

The embodiments of the present disclosure can be written as computerprograms and can be implemented in general-use digital computers thatexecute the programs using a computer-readable recording medium. In thisstate, the computer-readable recording medium may continuously store aprogram that can be executed by a computer, or may store a program forexecution or download. Furthermore, the computer-readable recordingmedium may be various recording devices or storing devices in whichsingle or several hardware are combined, but it is not limited to amedium that is directly accessed by a computer system and may be presentover a network in a distribution manner. Examples of thecomputer-readable recording medium include magnetic storage media suchas floppy disks or hard disks, optical recording media such as CD-ROMsor DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, ROM, RAM, flashmemory, etc., which are configured to store program instructions.Furthermore, examples of other media may include application stores fordistributing applications, sites for supplying or distributing othervarious software, and recording media or storing media managed atservers.

It should be understood that embodiments described herein should beconsidered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodimentshould typically be considered as available for other similar featuresor aspects in other embodiments.

While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to thefigures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat various changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A roll joint device for a surgical instrument,the roll joint device comprising: a shaft member having a shaft to whichat least one roll wire is coupled and rotatable around a roll axisaccording to a movement of the at least one roll wire; and a guidemember having one side to which the shaft member rotatable around theroll axis is coupled, wherein the guide member comprises: at least onewire hole through which the at least one roll wire passes, a wire guideportion formed to contact at least a part of the at least one roll wireto guide an entry path of the at least one roll wire into the at leastone wire hole such that an entry direction of the at least one roll wireinto the at least one wire hole and an exit direction of the at leastone roll wire from the at least one wire hole are substantially inparallel with an extension direction of the shaft, and a wire supportportion supporting at least a part of the at least one roll wire woundaround the shaft member, wherein the shaft member and the guide memberare formed as separate members and coupled to each other, wherein theshaft member is configured to rotate with respect to the guide memberwhile the guide member is fixed, and wherein, when viewed on a planeperpendicular to the roll axis, the wire guide portion and the wiresupport portion are asymmetrically formed to have different shapes fromeach other.
 2. The roll joint device of claim 1, wherein a radius of thewire support portion is larger than a radius of the shaft.
 3. The rolljoint device of claim 1, wherein in a state in which the shaft member isfitted in the guide member, a stepped region is formed where the shaftmember and contacts the wire support portion of the guide member, andwherein after at least a part of the at least one roll wire is woundaround the shaft, while being supported by the wire support portion inthe stepped region, the at least one roll wire is configured to beintroduced into the at least one wire hole along a surface of the wireguide portion.
 4. The roll joint device of claim 1, wherein the guidemember comprises: a housing having a hollow shape and comprising one endportion to which a connection portion of the surgical instrument iscoupled, and a guide portion formed at another end portion of thehousing and comprising the wire guide portion and the wire supportportion.
 5. The roll joint device of claim 4, wherein the wire guideportion is configured to guide a path of the at least one roll wire thatpenetrates the at least one wire hole.
 6. The roll joint device of claim1, wherein the wire guide portion comprises two inclined surfacesforming a predetermined angle, when viewed on a plane perpendicular tothe roll axis, and the wire support portion has an arc shape having apredetermined central angle, when viewed on a plane perpendicular to theroll axis.
 7. The roll joint device of claim 1, wherein the wire guideportion comprises a flat plane, when viewed on a plane perpendicular tothe roll axis, and the wire support portion has an arc shape having apredetermined central angle, when viewed on a plane perpendicular to theroll axis.
 8. The roll joint device of claim 4, wherein the wire guideportion is formed to be inwardly recessed from the guide portion, andthe wire guide portion is formed along a recessed surface.
 9. The rolljoint device of claim 1, wherein the wire guide portion is concavelyrecessed having a curvature, when viewed on a plane perpendicular to theroll axis, and the wire support portion has an arc shape having apredetermined central angle, when viewed on a plane perpendicular to theroll axis.
 10. The roll joint device of claim 4, wherein the wire guideportion is formed by opening or cutting a part of the guide portion, andthe wire support portion has an arc shape having a predetermined centralangle, when viewed on a plane perpendicular to the roll axis.
 11. Theroll joint device of claim 1, wherein the guide member comprises: afirst guide member having one end portion to which a connection portionof the surgical instrument is coupled; and a second guide member havingone side to which the shaft member is coupled and another side to whichthe first guide member is coupled, wherein each of the first guidemember and the second guide member includes the wire guide portion andthe wire support portion, and wherein a first roll wire of the at leastone roll wire is supported and guided by the second guide member, and asecond roll wire of the at least one roll wire is supported and guidedby the first guide member.